Abu Dhabi to launch new toll gates from October 15

ABU DHABI, July 25, 2019

The Department of Transport - Abu Dhabi (DoT) and the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) have announced the launch of its new toll gate system for the emirate.

In line with the Abu Dhabi Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP), four toll gates on major bridges leading into the city will be active from October 15, in a move aimed at reducing traffic congestion and raising the efficiency of the UAE capital's transport sector.

The toll gate system is being introduced in accordance with Law No 17 of 2017 on road tolls in Abu Dhabi.

The ITC will collect a toll as each vehicle crosses any of the four toll gates on Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge, Al Maqtaa Bridge and Mussafah Bridge.

The fee has been fixed at Dh4 for every pass during peak hours from Saturday to Thursday (7am - 9am and 5pm - 7pm). During off-peak hours, on Fridays, and during public holidays, the toll fee will be Dh2 for every pass. The toll collection system is operational 24/7, with a daily maximum fee of Dh16 per vehicle.

The amount due will be automatically deducted from a prepaid user account (the Integrated Electronic Payment wallet). Vehicles will be automatically identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on the windshield.

With the launch of the system, DoT and ITC aim to reduce traffic congestion by encouraging the general public to utilise Abu Dhabi’s public transport network, to reduce the use of private vehicles, and to encourage carpooling by individuals working within the same organisation or from same family.

In addition, the toll gate system encourages the community to plan and organize their routes in advance and decide the most appropriate times to drive, which has a positive impact on traffic flow, helps to maintain infrastructure and reduces impact on the environment, said senior officials of DoT and ITC at a press conference.

Abu Dhabi transport officials emphasized that the launch of the toll gate system was one step in a number of strategic projects aimed at achieving a fully integrated and sustainable uplift for the sector in line with the Abu Dhabi plan for the integration of surface transport network and services in Abu Dhabi.

In order to encourage the use of sustainable transport, DoT and ITC announced the exemption from charges for electric vehicles over a period of two years from the launch of the toll gate system, in order to preserve the environment and encourage sustainable living in the emirate.

DoT officials said that all road users must open a special toll account to manage their own vehicles and process payments online.

All Abu Dhabi registered vehicles on the official system registration launch, August 30, 2019, will have automatically registered accounts at no charge. Account holders will automatically receive an SMS message stating their user-name and password for that account, and can then add any additional vehicles to the registered account as required.

For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi, the owner must be registered in the system before crossing the toll gates. In case a vehicle which is not registered in the toll gate system crosses under the toll gates, the user will be given a grace period of ten business days, starting from the crossing time, to register in the system, otherwise a fine applies.

Vehicles registered in Abu Dhabi may pay the toll fee according to the post-payment system during any vehicle licensing procedure in case of insufficient balance. For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi with insufficient credit available in their user account, drivers have five business days to top up the account, otherwise a fine will apply as per the regulations, said the DoT officials.

Traffic fines for crossing the toll gate with a non-registered vehicle, after the ten working days grace period, will be Dh100 for the first day, Dh200 for the second day, and Dh400 for the third day, up to a maximum of Dh10,000.

Crossing under the toll gates without sufficient balance in the user’s account for vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi and after the grace period deadline, will result in a fine of Dh50 incurred each day.
In case users tamper with the vehicle’s license plate for the explicit purpose of evading the payment of fees, the fine is Dh10,000. Additionally, causing damage to any e-payment machines or toll gates, will result in a fine of Dh10,000.

Vehicle owners must always keep the information on their license plates visible and clear at all times to ensure correct data-reading by the system, said the officials.

They must update their personal and vehicle information in the account in the event of any changes occurring to that data within five business days, they added.-TradeArabia News Service